An Indian court in Jharkhand has acquitted the main accused in a drug trafficking case after police reported that nearly 200 kilograms of seized cannabis had allegedly been eaten by rats while in storage. The case dates back to 2022, when authorities stopped a vehicle on a national highway and claimed to have recovered a large quantity of cannabis valued at approximately three crore Pakistani rupees.
During the trial, police informed the court that the confiscated drugs could not be presented as evidence because they were consumed by rodents while stored in a warehouse. The court rejected this explanation, noting that such a claim raised serious doubts about the procedures followed by law enforcement in handling the case. The judge strongly criticized the police for negligence in preserving crucial evidence.
The court also highlighted multiple contradictions in police testimony, including inconsistencies about the location and timing of the vehicle stop, the custody of the accused, and how other alleged accomplices escaped. Despite the large quantity of drugs allegedly recovered on a busy highway near residential areas, no independent civilian witnesses were included in the operation.
Furthermore, the prosecution failed to establish a clear link between the accused and the vehicle from which the cannabis was reportedly recovered. The court ruled that the charges were not proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and when physical evidence is missing and the chain of custody is broken, the benefit of the doubt must go to the accused.
As a result, the court acquitted the main accused, clearing him of all charges in the drug trafficking case, and criticized the handling of evidence and investigation procedures by the police.
